August Wine (and pairings!)

Happy August! Raise your hand if you are OVER summer!? It’s been a bit of doozie all over the northern hemisphere :( But there is still wine! And this is the newsletter when I fill you in on my current wine club offerings and how to sign up, but I think you will enjoy the read even if you have no interest in signing up for the club and/or don’t live in Charleston as it’s a nice little look into wines that I think pair well with this time of the year and the stories behind them AND pairing ideas. Perhaps you can even find these wines at your own local wine shop! I will include the brass tacks about my wine club below in case you are interested in signing up (I do appreciate the support). But feel free to scroll down to my June wine picks if you are just here for the reading! And please, please don’t forget to hit the like button as it helps spread the good news of wine to the world :) Also I will be announcing my fall wine class series very soon – A Tour of France – so stay tuned to newsletter/check out my website grapetotable.com – thanks so much!!

Wine Club Brass Tacks:

I am honored to host my wine club out of Wine & Company (a bottle shop and wine bar) at 441 Meeting Street, corner of Meeting and Spring, in downtown Charleston, SC. That’s where you will pick up your wine if you sign up. Also keep in mind that wine club makes a great gift for friends/family :) It’s easy for me to set it up for you to just be billed for 2 or 3 or however many months if you want to gift it. And I have a cute certificate for you to give the recipient. Just email me if interested – sarah@grapetotable.com :)

About the wine…this is a wine club that celebrates the magic of wine and food through an exploration of small, family-run wineries and detailed pairing suggestions! I definitely draw heavily from the old world (Europe!) with an occasional new world gem thrown into the mix. All of the wines are sustainably farmed with some producers going the extra mile with organic and biodynamic practices.

The GTT wine club is $70/month for 3 bottles that are available for pick-up on the first of each month. You can choose between my seasonal mix, all white, or all red. But the seasonal mix is the MOST popular option for good reason!!

Most importantly – wine club is a great way to learn about new grape varieties and styles that you might not reach for yourself! If you want to join: sign up is easy and secure by clicking here!

Now about August’s seasonal mix offerings…well needless to say — it’s STILL HOT. So here are some refreshing picks and pairing ideas!

Christophe Patrice Aligoté
Grape: Aligoté!
Region: Saint-Bris, Burgundy France
Story: Just in case you are new let me introduce you to Aligoté! This is one of my fave white grapes – a native of Burgundy and related to the more famed white grape of the region – Chardonnay. Here is one from a small, family owned winery in Chablis (northern Burgundy). While they make great Chablis they also make this Aligoté from the neighboring region of Saint-Bris. They practice sustainable farming.
Pairing: In the June issue of Charleston magazine they featured several local chefs and their fave grilling out recipes. There were a few that caught my eye, such as the Rosemary Grilled Chicken from Michael Zenner (chef/owner of Merci). (Click here for the article!) It’s a simple recipe involving a marinade with lots of rosemary, lemon, dijon etc. And he really gets a heavy char on the chicken, which added to the enticement!! I would definitely want a minerally white to wash down that chicken, and this Aligoté would be a sure winner!!

Bixigu Txakoli Rosé
Grapes: Hondarrabi Zuri, Hondarrabi Beltza
Region: Getaria, Txakolina, Spain
Story: Many of you probably already know of the delightful, mineral driven, sometimes effervescent whites that come from this corner of the Basque region of Spain. But let me paint a vivid picture – you are a half hour drive from the famed foodie town of San Sebastian along the Cantabrian Sea. It is here at the top of the hill with water views, where four generations of the Lazkano family have produced and sold Txakoli. José Antonio used to make wine at home for family consumption and to only sell locally until they set up their cellar in 1923. These days the 4th generation is in charge, brothers Joseba and Urtzi. Joseba and his mother handle the winemaking and the boutique hotel while Urtzi manages their sustainably farmed vineyards. There is quite a bit of inexpensive fizzy white from this region, but the Lazkanos make a slightly more serious (but still fun!) white and this rosé that’s perfect for the August doldrums!
Pairing: To go with this refreshing rosé I propose my own Succotash (and Shrimp) recipe that I featured in my August 2025 newsletter. This time of the year the local veggies are waning but I bet you can still find all the ingredients for succotash!! And since we are all hiding out in the AC it’s a nice little cooking project :)

Caruso Minini Frapello
Grapes: Frappato & Nerello Mascalese
Region: Western Sicily, Italy
Story: Caruso & Minini is a historic producer on Sicily’s western coast where they have long grown grapes that were used in Marsala production. In 2004 Stefano Caruso joined forces with Mario Minini of Lombardy (subregion of northern Italy) to launch the present-day winery, and produce wines from indigenous Sicilian varietals such as Catarratto, Nero d’Avola, Frappato, Inzolia, and Nerello Mascalese. Today, Stefano’s daughter Giovanna works closely with her father, and they farm sustainably and organically.
Pairing: This is DEFINITELY a chillable red. And I would actually put a hard chill on it and enjoy while braving a sweaty evening of grilling. Perhaps just burgers! OR another recipe that caught my eye from that June issue of Charleston Magazine – Grilled Lamb Ribs (or Chops) with Romesco from James London (chef/owner of Chubby Fish). He suggests lamb ribs; however, chops are so much easier to procure. BUT I do LOVE the idea of the classic Spanish romesco sauce (tomato, pepper, almond etc.) to cut the gamey nature of the lamb. And this yummy chilled red will also be the perfect counterpoint.

Thanks so much for reading! Check out my archive if you want more! There’s lots to read – from my origin story (click here to read) to fun content focused on meaningful time at the table with delicious wine and food. My newsletter is free and you can find all the content by clicking here – basically a little Grape to Table website created by the great folks at Substack. I did realize recently that you only see the various categories of past newsletters if you open this link in a browser (rather than the Substack app). It’s a shame because the categories make it easy to find content you might be interested in…so here are some more embedded links! Click here for Wine Tips. Click here for Recipes. Click here for Q & As. And once again please hit the like button :)

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